"I've noticed he always either hesitates or holds back when it comes to sparring with girls..."

"He should remember it is not wise to hold back against Karela, even in a sparring match," Takeda chimed in, sounding surprisingly amused.

This came as somewhat of a shock to Takeda. Just yesterday he was angry and distant, and now here he was speaking his mind...just like he used to. He was always quiet, but when he was with these guys he was more open.

"Its good to see you again as well. Some of the samurai were talking about how you helped them in the battle, in fact...I think a few of them wanted to see if they could spar against you if you came along with Kaneda.

Takeda walked over to Karela, pulling a map out of his bag.

"I figured you might say something like that, which is why I took the liberty of remembering my journey last night. I've labeled spots that made good rest points for the night, and a path I deemed the most efficient for our group," Takeda said as he showed it to her.